Terbitory



`(No Mmm.) 1

. W.,P. WAMSLBY.

ELECTRICAL CONTACT DEAVICE FOR HOSBCCUPLERS. No. 364,559, f A Patented June 7, 1887.

UNITED STATES vPATENT FFICE.

WILLIAM r. wAMsLnr, or wALLA WALL-n, wAs'rIINGToNTnRRIToRY.

ELECTRICAL CONTACT VICE FOR HOSE-COUPL-ERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,559, dated June 7, 1887.

Application iiled November El, 1886. Serial No. 217,797. (No Inodelz) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. WAMsLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Walla alla, in the county of Walla Walla and Territory of `Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Contact Devices for Hose Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inventIon, such as will enable others skilled in the- The coupling itself,'which I shall hereinafter refer to, is shown in my joint application with Thomas McIntosh, marked Case A, Serial No. 217,796, and bearing even date with the `filing of this, and not herein broadly claimed.

My present object is to simplify the construction and manner of insulating electrical contact-points inside the couplers, as will be fully understood from the following description and claims, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, inwhich- Figure `l is a vertical longitudinal section taken centrally through'one of the tubular couplers, showing my improvement applied to it. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through the coupler, taken in the plane indicated by dotted line ab :c on Fig. 1, looking toward the rear ofthe coupler. Fig. 3 is atop view showing the improved contact-points secured to a grooved insulating-ring. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the angular T- shaped headed contact-points, showing a binding-screw applied to it. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the recessed ring withoutithe contact-points. i

Referring to the annexed drawingsby letters, A designates in section one of the couplings, to which a dexible air-conducting tube, pipe, or hose, B--such as the ordinary Westinghouse air-brake hoseis attached in any suitable manner. This coupling is constructed with a hollow ease, C, into which is screwed a cap, D, having bearing-prongs a, that bear against a packing-ring,b,ofleather or other suit-able substance. The face c of the case is flat, and through itis a circular aperture,througl1 which extends an elastic packing-ring, E, which in crosssection is of an Lshape. The basel of this ring lies in ,a circular rabbet, d, and the lip thereof is exposed beyond the surface c, as shown in Fig. 1. This ring not only serves in part as an insulator for certain electrical conducting-points hereinafter described, but it also serves`,iu combination with asimilar packing-ring applied in the same manner to another coupler similarly constructed and provided with the contact-points insulated by a ring,to

`form an air-tight joint between two couplers.

FF are two angular contactpoints oppositely arranged upon the ring G2, hereinafter described, and which may ube made of anpT suitable metal, and which are respectively coustructed` with T-shaped heads c e, presenting broad contact-surfaces formed on angular portionsff, terminating in perforated Shanks g g. Each contact-point or knee is provided with a binding-screw, H, adapted to receive and tov have electrically connected to it the bare end of an insulated electric wire, one wire of one point representing the positive pole of a battery and the other wire attached to the other point representing the negative pole of the battery.

' G2 designates a flat ring, which is clearly shown in Fig. 5, and whichis preferably made of india-rubber, though it may be made ofany other suitable non -conductor of electricity. This ring G2 is recessed at h 71, and it is deeply grooved radially at i. It lies between the baseiiange of the flanged packing-ring and the leather packing-ring, both of which are insulators. In practice the recessed ring G2 is preferably Y made of vulcanized rubber, although it may be made of glass. To it I secure in any suitable manner the two metallic points F F, which are placed far enough apart to prevent sparking, and their shanks or bases being so completely insulated that the current from the electrical source will not be dissipated through the couplings.

rlhe wires which are connected to the posts or bindingscrews II are passed through the deep groove rof the non-conducting ring GZ and carried to the battery through the interior of the flexible hose.

In practice the horizontal parts ofthe T- shaped limbs ofthe contact-points will be laterally rounded, so that in the act of making a coupling similar contact-points Willlie closely with each other and form electrical connections between cars when a coupling is effected.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. An air-brakehose-coupling containing an electrically non-conducting ring recessed and grooved radially, in combination with opposite contact-points secured to said ring, substantially as described.

2. In an air-brake hose-coupling, the combination of a packing and insulating ring and electrical contact points secured to opposite sides of said insulatingring, to which the con ducting-wires are secured and confined within the coupling between said ring and packing, substantially as shown and described.

3. In an air-brake hose-coupling, the insulating-ring having arranged at opposite sides the bent arms F, provided with contacts c,

\VILLTAM F. W'AHSLEY.

Witnesses:

H. M. Cinisi), T. M. SlLooTir. 

